Oct. 20 - Armed Forces Day: Military members, reservists and veterans, and up to five family members can receive free admission to the fair. Enter through Encanto Avenue and bring military ID.

We Care Wednesdays: Bring five food items to donate to Operation Santa Claus between noon and 6 p.m. and receive one free general admission ticket. Special notes: Water bottles, Ramen noodles, baby food, and glass are not accepted. Peanut butter, canned fruit or vegetables, and canned tuna are acceptable.

First-Hour Thursdays: On Thursdays, for the first hour the fair is open, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m, there will be no admission fee to get into the fairgrounds.

Weekends before 2 p.m.: On Saturdays and Sundays, admission will be $5 before 2 p.m.

Arizona Milk Producers: Receive $3 off one admission ticket when you bring a grocery receipt showing purchases of milk, yogurt and cheese products. All three need to be on the receipt.

Read three books: Kids can earn three ride passes when they read three books and fill out a book report form
. A teacher, parent or guardian must sign the form.

Free Fry's Fridays: When you spend $50 at Fry's through Oct. 27, a promotion for two free general admission adult tickets will be on the back of the receipt. Those tickets can be redeemed on Fridays between noon and 6 p.m.

There will be nine new food vendors at this year's fair. The deep-fried chocolate and corn dogs, and turkey legs are still there (don't worry!), but here is a quick peek at some of the new foods to try.

Popcorn Factory - this vendor will have 50 flavors of gourmet popcorn.

Drink a Fruit From A Fruit - this vendor will have fruit-flavored drinks where the fruit's shell becomes the glass. Think pineapple, coconut, and watermelon.

The Dragons Den: People will be able to interact with life-sized animatronic dragons and learn the folklore behind them. The cost is $5 per person.

The La Grande Wheel XL is a large observation wheel with climate-controlled cabins and half-million LED lights. It will make its debut at the fair this year.

The All-Star Freestyle Mania and Thrill Show will have Transaurus, a 30-foot car that transforms into the likeness of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and can shred other cars. The show also features a jet-powered Smart Car and monster trucks.

Lights of the World: The Chinese lantern festival has moved from Rawhide to the Arizona State Fairgrounds. A "teaser" exhibit will be at the fair while the official festival does not open until November. Read more
.

Besides those, the fair will also have carnival-style rides and games, and livestock competitions.